‘50-megapixel’ Oppo phone hits UK

Chinese manufacturer Oppo stirred some interest at MWC 2014 with its Oppo Find 7 smartphone, a mid-range Android that allegedly boasted a 50-megapixel camera as well as an incredibly sharp 5.5-inch screen and the latest Snapdragon processor - specs to take on the biggest smartphones such as Samsung’s Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8, at about half the price.

It now looks like the Oppo phone will make it to Europe in a month or so, but rather than the fully-specced Oppo Find 7, we’re getting the pared-down Find 7a. This version, retailing for 399 Euros, still packs many of the same features but trims back that dense screen resolution.

The Oppo Find 7a still packs a 5.5-inch IPS display, but the eyebrow-raising 2560x1440 pixel resolution of the Find 7 has been trimmed to 1920x1080. That means the original and completely insane 538ppi density drops to 403ppi, but it’s still a Full HD screen which we’re starting to see on more and more mid-range devices.

Although Oppo bigged up the Find’s camera as a 50-megapixel snapper at MWC, the Oppo Find 7a actually sports a 13-megapixel camera that takes four shots in quick succession and stitches them together into one uber-photo. We haven’t had a chance to test it out yet, but those who have are generally pleased by the end result. You can shoot 4k and slow-motion video, and you also get a wide-angle 5-megapixel front-facer for glamorous selfies.

Other specs are undeniably impressive given the Oppo Find 7a’s 399 Euro price tag. A 2.3GHz quad-core SnapDragon 801 processor, 2GB of RAM and 2,800mAh battery mean it should stack up well against the latest flagship smartphones, which cost around £200 more.

The Oppo Find 7a will be available soon in two colours, White and Midnight. If you pre-order the phone you get some handy freebies - a case, a spare battery and a 32GB SD card - so anyone interested should check it out now. Expect a full review soon.